Genesco couple calls it a career

Ann and William "Bud" Pugh were honored at the beginning of the Genesco's Dockers Distribution Center's traditional holiday lunch last week.

A Chapel Hill couple is working their last day today, finishing a combined 97 years of service at Genesco's Dockers Distribution Center.

Ann and William "Bud" Pugh were honored at the beginning of the center's traditional holiday lunch last week.

Bud started with Genesco the day after Christmas in 1956. He was 20 years old. Ann joined the company as Miss Johnson in 1958 and left in 1959, but came back as Mrs. Pugh in 1965 and has been there ever since.

"It's rare to have two people as dedicated to a company as these two," said Andy Gilbert, president of Genesco's licensed brands.

"I've known them for more than 47 years," said Bobby McDaniel, the operations manager. "They've done a super job, and we appreciate both of them."

The press release put out by Dockers says about Bud, "There is not one sign of lack of effort or anything less than a stellar job performance," and about Ann, "Whatever she needed to do to get the job done was just what she gave. Like Bud she never complained."

"It's been great," said Ann. "We live within three miles, and it's great to be close to where you work."

Bud says the biggest change since he started is the advent of the computer - in the early days, everything was done by hand, with inventories and orders checked off with pencil and paper.

Their plans for retirement include spending more time with their daughter and granddaughter in Chattanooga.

Unlike some Marshall County businesses, the Dockers Distribution Center is doing fine. "Our happy little division is the most profitable in the company this year," said Gilbert, predicting a "nice little bonus" for employees. The company appreciates what the distribution center does, recognizing, as Gilbert said, "If we don't ship on a timely basis we don't get paid."